DRDO Opens Indigenous Electro-Mechanical Actuator Technologies to Indian Industry

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation has opened a new group of indigenous electro-mechanical actuator technologies developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment for transfer to Indian industry. The move creates a pathway for domestic companies to manufacture specialised aerospace control components developed within DRDO’s aeronautical research ecosystem.

The technologies published for transfer on October 7, 2026 include the Rotary Electro Mechanical Actuator 40 Nm, or REMA40M, and the Rotary Electro Mechanical Actuator 25 Nm with an inbuilt analogue controller, or REMA25. DRDO has classified both as Category A military technologies and made three licences available for each system.

ADE Opens a Broader Family of Actuator Technologies

The October 7 release extends beyond REMA40M and REMA25. DRDO’s official Transfer of Technology portal also lists a 50 Nm actuator with an inbuilt digital controller, a 75 Nm actuator with an inbuilt digital controller, a 50 Nm version with an analogue controller and a Quad Digital Actuator Controller from ADE.

Together, the technologies indicate the development of a broader family of indigenous electro-mechanical control systems covering different torque requirements and controller architectures. Instead of transferring a single component, DRDO is opening multiple configurations that could allow Indian manufacturers to build expertise across a wider range of aerospace actuation requirements.

The technologies listed by DRDO on October 7 include REMA25, REMA40M, REMA50A, REMA50 and REMA75, along with the Quad Digital Actuator Controller. Three licences are available for each of these actuator and controller technologies.

Why Electro-Mechanical Actuators Matter in Aerospace Systems

An electro-mechanical actuator converts an electrical control command into controlled mechanical movement. In an aerospace control system, such movement can be used to position a surface, mechanism or other controlled element with the accuracy and response required by the platform.

Modern aerospace systems increasingly depend on compact electrical actuation because it can reduce dependence on conventional hydraulic or mechanically complex arrangements in suitable applications. The actuator, controller, feedback architecture and associated electronics therefore form an important part of the wider flight-control and automation chain.

ADE has decades of experience in flight-control technology. DRDO’s own technical history records the laboratory’s progression from analogue automatic flight-control systems for early drones to digital flight-control systems for fly-by-wire aircraft and autonomous airborne platforms. The new actuator technology transfers build on that broader aeronautical control-system capability.

REMA25 Adds an Integrated Analogue Controller

The REMA25 is rated at 25 Nm and incorporates an analogue controller within the actuator system. DRDO has offered the technology to industry partners through its Category A Transfer of Technology mechanism, with three licences available.

Integrating the controller with the actuator can simplify the relationship between electronic control commands and mechanical output by packaging more of the control function within the actuator assembly. Such integration is particularly relevant where compact packaging, controlled movement and reliable response are important design considerations.

The REMA40M, meanwhile, provides a higher 40 Nm torque rating. DRDO’s official listing identifies it as a separate ADE-developed technology and has likewise opened three licences to industry.

Higher-Torque Variants Expand the Technology Family

ADE’s October 7 offering also includes the REMA50, a 50 Nm rotary electro-mechanical actuator with an inbuilt digital controller, and the REMA75, which increases rated torque to 75 Nm while retaining an integrated digital-control architecture.

A third 50 Nm configuration, REMA50A, uses an inbuilt analogue controller. This gives the technology portfolio both analogue and digital controller options within the same broad torque class.

DRDO has additionally offered the Quad Digital Actuator Controller, adding a dedicated control-system technology to the actuator family. The combined package therefore covers not only mechanical actuation but also part of the electronic architecture required to command and coordinate such systems.

Technology Transfer Moves Development Toward Industrial Production

DRDO’s Transfer of Technology system is intended to move technologies developed by its laboratories into the Indian industrial ecosystem. Through this mechanism, qualified industry partners can obtain licences and associated technical knowledge needed to manufacture approved DRDO-developed systems and components.

The October 7 actuator listings are identified for industry partners and placed under Category A, which DRDO uses for military technologies. Opening multiple licences can also create more than one potential manufacturing source rather than concentrating production capability in a single company.

For India’s defence sector, this industrialisation stage is important because indigenous design alone does not create manufacturing self-reliance. Components must also be producible at consistent quality, integrated into larger systems and supported throughout the service life of the platforms that use them.

Building a Domestic Aerospace Controls Ecosystem

The actuator transfers form part of a wider pattern in which DRDO is moving specialised subsystems and manufacturing technologies from laboratories to domestic industry. Aerospace programmes depend on numerous such components, including actuators, controllers, sensors, navigation units, flight-control electronics, power systems and structural assemblies.

Developing Indian manufacturing capability in these areas strengthens the supply chain beneath major aircraft, unmanned systems and other defence platforms. It also gives domestic manufacturers an opportunity to acquire production experience in technologies that require high levels of precision, reliability and systems integration.

The October 7 release therefore represents more than the transfer of two individual actuators. By opening a family of electro-mechanical actuators and associated control technologies to Indian industry, ADE and DRDO are creating the basis for wider domestic capability in an important layer of aerospace control-system manufacturing.

From DRDO Laboratory to Indian Production

India’s defence-indigenisation effort increasingly depends on turning laboratory-developed technologies into repeatable industrial products. DRDO’s decision to offer several actuator configurations simultaneously gives Indian companies access to technologies spanning different torque ratings and control architectures.

As these technologies move from ADE into licensed industrial production, they can help deepen India’s domestic expertise in precision aerospace components and strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem supporting future indigenous defence platforms.

---

References

1. Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Defence — Transfer of Technologies: Category A Technologies, including REMA25, REMA40M, REMA50A, REMA50, REMA75 and Quad Digital Actuator Controller, published October 7, 2026.
   https://drdo.gov.in/drdo/en/offerings/transfer-of-technologies
2. Defence Research and Development Organisation — Rotary Electro Mechanical Actuator 25 Nm with inbuilt analogue controller (REMA25), Aeronautical Development Establishment, Category A Transfer of Technology, October 7, 2026.
   https://drdo.gov.in/drdo/en/offerings/transfer-of-technologies/rotary-electro-mechanical-actuator-25-nm-inbuilt-analog-0
3. Defence Research and Development Organisation — Organisation: Vision and Mission, including DRDO’s mandate to facilitate production and induction of technologies developed through its R&D ecosystem.
   https://drdo.gov.in/drdo/en/organisation
4. Defence Research and Development Organisation — Digital Flight Control Systems for Practising Engineers, documenting ADE’s work in automatic and digital flight-control systems.
   https://drdo.gov.in/drdo/en/documents/publications/monograph/digital-flight-control-systems-practising-engineers

---